The Story of Trijata (Sarga 27)

Rama’s story gives a detailed account of Hanuman’s arrival in Lanka. Within this account, several small points have appeared, which we have considered.

First, at the entrance to Lanka, we saw a rakshasi named Lanka and tried to understand her on the spiritual level. Then we saw the Ashoka grove and understood that too. After that, we tried to understand what was indicated by Sita taking shelter behind a blade of grass.

So we have understood three points.

Now, while reading this story, a fourth point has appeared: a particular character named Trijata.

Let us try to understand what this character indicates.

These are small details. The episode of Lankini was very brief. The reference to the Ashoka grove was also brief, as was the expression about Sita taking shelter behind a blade of grass.

This point too is small, but important.

First, let us briefly look at the story.

Ravana tempted Sita, who was in the Ashoka grove, to become his wife. Sita rejected his proposal and tried to counsel him in various ways.

Ravana became very angry. He appointed various rakshasis to frighten and threaten her. Distressed by them, Sita became eager to give up her life.

The rakshasis were threatening her in many ways and were eager to eat her. Tormented by them, she began wishing to abandon her life.

At that moment, an elderly rakshasi named Trijata, who had just awakened from sleep, offered reassurance. She said that she had seen a remarkable dream: Ravana would be destroyed, and Rama would be victorious.

According to the dream, a terrible danger would soon arise for the rakshasas. In that situation, Sita alone would be able to grant the rakshasis freedom from fear.

If we summarise that long description of the dream in two lines, it says that the time for the destruction of the rakshasas has arrived, and the time for Rama’s victory has come.

Therefore, Trijata tells the rakshasis not to treat Sita in this way any longer.

Now we need to understand why this character named Trijata has suddenly been introduced here.

The account we read today in the twenty-seventh chapter describes her arrival and her dream. After that, Trijata disappears again. She appears once more in the Yuddha Kanda, which we will consider later.

Let us now try to understand what is being conveyed through Trijata.

It appears that this character indicates a power present in the depths of our own mind—in our subconscious mind.

That power is intuition.

The character Trijata indicates the intuitive power present in our subconscious mind.

The Hindi word “antarjnana” may seem a little difficult. In everyday English, we call it intuitive power, or the power of intuition.

We understand the word “intuition” more easily. So antarjnana means our intuitive power.

This intuitive power remains dormant in the depths of our mind, or in our subconscious mind.

It lies asleep. It is not awake all the time.

It exists within our own deeper mind, but remains dormant.

Then it awakens according to our thoughts—the thoughts moving through our conscious mind—or according to the circumstances that arise in our life.

There are two grounds for the awakening of this power, which lies dormant in the subconscious.

One is our own thoughts: what kinds of thoughts are moving through our mind?

The other is our circumstances: what situation has arisen in our life?

On these two grounds, this power awakens. It rises from the subconscious mind and immediately reaches the level of the conscious mind.

What does it do when it arrives there?

It gives a message useful for that moment, and then returns to the place from which it came.

Let us understand this once more.

Our conscious mind possesses many powers: the power to decide, the power to face situations, the power to let go, and the power of contentment.

These are powers of the conscious mind.

Similarly, our deeper or subconscious mind also contains many powers.

One of these is intuitive power, the power of inner knowing.

Why is it called the power of inner knowing?

Because its nature is knowledge. It guides us on the basis of knowledge, and the guidance it gives is also true.

Take dreams, for example.

We may dream on the basis of the thoughts we have had throughout the day. Or we may dream on the basis of everything accumulated in our subconscious mind over many lifetimes.

What is the difference between an ordinary dream and this intuitive power?

The dreams we see often have no coherent connection within them. In most cases, they have no foundation in knowledge either.

Most dreams are not true. Sometimes they are, but usually they are not.

This intuitive power can also seem like a dream.

When it rises from the subconscious to the conscious level, it may feel as though we have seen a dream.

But it is not obscure or incomprehensible in the way a dream can be. It is completely clear.

It guides us, and its guidance is true in relation to the circumstances.

Now a question arises.

We are saying that Trijata represents our own intuitive power lying within the subconscious mind.

Why are we saying this?

Why have we interpreted Trijata in this way?

This question always arises: could this simply be our imagination? Have we merely imagined that Trijata is our intuitive power?

We need to understand that this is not a power invented through imagination.

This fact is hidden within the word Trijata itself.

It is on the basis of this word that we can say Trijata symbolises the power of intuition.

So we must now pay attention to the word Trijata.

Whenever we try to understand something in the Puranas, we always try to understand the word itself. A distinctive feature of the Puranas is that important facts have first been concealed within the words.

The same applies here. Within the word Trijata, the author has concealed the indication that she represents our intuitive power.

How?

Let us examine the word.

Trijata consists of two parts: “tri” and “jata.”

As usual, let us separate them.

In Sanskrit, separating the components of a combined word is called sandhi-vicheda.

We have separated “tri” and “jata.”

The important part here is “tri.” We need to pay close attention to it.

When I say Trijata, you hear the sound “tri.”

But this sound can be written in two ways.

In the Ramayana, Trijata is written using “त्र,” the conjunct consonant found in a word such as “kshatriya.”

Our alphabet contains conjunct consonants such as “क्ष,” “त्र,” and “ज्ञ.”

But is the sound in Trijata to be understood as the “त्र” in kshatriya? Or is it to be understood as the “तृ” in “trina,” the word we considered last time, where the vowel sign appears beneath the letter “त”?

We need to consider this distinction.

In speech, the two sounds may be pronounced alike. As I speak, you hear the same sound. But in writing, they are quite different.

Here, the part of Trijata that we need to understand is not the “त्र” in kshatriya, but the “तृ” in trina.

These are two quite different forms.

Throughout the Puranas, we find words altered in this way to conceal their meaning.

The Ramayana too is a Purana, a later Purana presented in the form of a story, or based upon the Puranic tradition.

Here, to conceal the “तृ” found in trina, the author has used the “त्र” found in kshatriya.

The meaning has been concealed in this way, but we need to interpret Trijata on the basis of the “तृ” form.

In Sanskrit, “तृ” is a verbal root meaning to float or to flow.

Why are we taking this form here?

What do floating and flowing indicate?

The power lying within our subconscious mind, which we have called intuition, floats or flows up to our conscious mind.

It exists in the subconscious, but in a moment it flows or floats to the conscious level.

Because of this movement, we need to understand the first part of Trijata through the “तृ” in trina rather than the “त्र” in kshatriya.

That is the first point.

How does intuitive power immediately reach our conscious mind?

It flows or floats up to it.

Now let us examine the second part: “jata.”

Just as we examined the first part, here too the “ta” is actually to be understood as “ra.”

The underlying word is “jara.”

What does jara mean?

It has two meanings: old age, and something old.

When we read the story, Trijata was described as elderly. So we need to understand this part through jara.

The first part indicates intuitive power. The second part, jara, indicates that this power is old. The word “elderly” in the story gives us this indication.

Why is it described as old?

Because this intuitive power lying within our subconscious mind is not something newly created today.

It is not a new power.

Ever since this body came into being, this intuitive power has been lying dormant within our subconscious mind.

Therefore, the story indicates that this power is not new. It is very old.

We have now understood both parts.

When we put them together, the meaning is that an intuitive power exists within our subconscious mind. It is very old, remains dormant, and sometimes awakens and rises to the level of our conscious mind.

When and how does it awaken?

Two grounds have been given.

One is the thoughts moving through our mind. This power awakens to give them a direction.

Suppose thoughts are moving through our conscious mind but have no direction. This intuitive power immediately rises and gives those thoughts a direction.

Or, according to the circumstances that have arisen, this power rises from the subconscious and guides us through the situation.

The guidance it gives is beneficial, useful, correct, and true.

Now let us consider the circumstances created in this episode of the Ramayana.

Trijata has awakened from sleep and is describing a dream.

What situation has arisen?

The rakshasis are frightening and threatening Sita. Distressed by them, Sita is thinking that it would be better to die.

This is the situation.

Now we know that Sita is not a physical woman in this interpretation.

Who is Sita?

Sita is our purity: purity of thoughts, purity of words, and purity of actions.

We have discussed Sita in this way many times.

This purity—whether of our thoughts, words, or actions—is our greatest power.

Without purity within us, we cannot accomplish anything that helps us rise.

Whatever we do to move towards higher levels is possible only when purity exists within us.

Even the possibility of attaining liberation is contained within this purity.

A question once arose: how do we bring purity into our life?

We repeatedly hear that we must become pure, that our mind and intellect must become pure, that our thoughts, speech, and actions must become pure.

Purity has the greatest importance in the spiritual field. We can move towards liberation only when it exists within us.

Now suppose this purity disappears for a few moments or for some time, or becomes imprisoned by our own body-identification.

That is not a great difficulty. It disappears briefly and then returns.

For example, under the influence of delusion, we tell a lie. Our purity disappears.

But immediately, awareness arises within us. We realise, “Why did I do something wrong? Why did I tell a lie?”

Our purity had briefly disappeared, but it returns.

So, if purity disappears or becomes imprisoned for a short time, there is no great harm.

But if purity dies—if it is destroyed—that is certainly not good for us.

If purity dies, we cannot do anything that spiritual teaching prescribes for the advancement of consciousness.

Whatever can be done to rise to higher levels of consciousness can be done only through purity.

Therefore, the death of purity can never be intended. It must be saved.

This is the situation in which the intuitive power lying asleep in the subconscious awakens.

It appears at the conscious level, reassures us about saving purity, and then returns to the subconscious.

In the episode we are reading, the rakshasis are frightening and threatening Sita, and Sita is ready to die.

What does Trijata come and say?

Do not frighten or threaten her. Sita must be saved.

Why must she be saved?

Because Rama is coming to Lanka for her.

Trijata says that she has seen a dream in which Rama comes to Lanka, destroys it, and takes Sita back with him. At that time, the rakshasis themselves will ask Sita to save them.

This situation has been presented here in the form of a story.

Through it, we have understood that there is a very valuable power within us. On many occasions, it comes to us, gives us guidance, and then returns to where it was.

There is one more thing we need to understand.

When this power appears, it feels exactly as though we have seen a dream.

But it is not a dream.

We see ordinary dreams every day. This power, which appears to us in a dreamlike form, is not an ordinary dream.

It only seems like one.